Thursday, November 06, 2014

Mattie

I was biking around the village last week when I noticed a group of artists working at their easels in front of the lighthouse. More "plein air" painters, I thought, and wondered what was going on.

So I stopped to take some pictures and ask a few questions. Immediately I spied my friend Anita from mainland Hyde County. Then I discovered there were three other islanders in the group of a dozen or so artists. They were being tutored by Mark Hierholzer, colorist and fine art oil painter from Swan Quarter.

The group was part of a program of the Mattie Arts Center which was established in 2012 and housed in the old Hyde County court house in Swan Quarter. MATTIE is an acronym for Mattamuskeet Artisans, Teaching, Training, Instructing, and Educating.

Classes at Mattie are dedicated to creating a venue where artists can grow artistically in their craft, communicate creatively with one another, and be inspired by nature.

It certainly looked as if they were accomplishing their goals. I hope I have an opportunity to see some of their finished products.